Feeling: Friday’s weather left me feeling tired and uncomfortable; Sunday’s weather made me fall in love with running all over again.

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If today’s run hadn’t happened, I may have wasted a few sentences complaining about Friday’s temperature – but almost all of that is forgotten now after having the best run all summer this morning. The upcoming 32k LSD run was on my mind for all of Saturday. The last time I hit the 30k mark, I ended up tear-faced and slightly traumatized. I decided to take it easy yesterday and spent the majority of the day making homemade hummus (with lemon zest!), dark chocolate peanut butter cookies, homemade almond milk, and lentil stuffed zucchini boats. After a huge green salad with fresh figs, a chicken and “cheese” tortilla pizza and fresh papaya, I turned in early to get a decent night’s sleep.

Maybe it was the clean food that I ate the day before, or the good night’s sleep – but mostly, I’m pretty sure the gorgeous weather with a cool wind and lack of humidity all contributed to my having the best long run all year. I felt strong and calm the entire time. I held back for the first half of the run to make sure I had enough gas in the tank for the second half, and for once, I finished the run feeling like I could have definitely continued going for much longer. For the first time, I felt like I could really conquer the 42.2km miles in relatively one piece. Of course, all of these feelings will probably go away by Tuesday as the warm weather is expected to return. At least I now know how much the weather really can impact the quality of my run. I always suspected it played a role – but I had no idea it played a starring role. Anyway, it was the perfect day and as a result, I had the perfect run.

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Oh yeah, remember this?

Last week, amidst all of my stress, I decided to channel it through the power of baking. There is something so therapeutic about experimenting and baking in the kitchen. Banana bread is one of my favourite treats and with a tub of sour cream waiting to be used in my fridge, I decided it was time to treat myself (and, eventually, my coworkers who gobbled this bread up as soon as I brought it to work). 🙂

Instead of using a recipe, I decided to make the best of what I already had in my kitchen. All I knew is that I wanted it taste like bananas, be moist, and satisfying. No eggs? No problem. I find mixing 1 tbsp + 3 tbsp cold water makes the perfect egg substitute. It has never failed me so far. And who doesn’t love their mashed bananas with a hint of espresso in their banana bread? I certainly do. Especially mixed with avocado (nature’s butter!), sour cream, and honey.

The dry ingredients were pretty standard; whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, and a little bit of salt. Could it be any easier?

Well, when you mix the dry and wet ingredients together and combine using a wooden spoon, I would have to say no.

Once all ingredients are well mixed together, pour mixture into a greased bread tin and bake for about an hour.

What you’ll get is this gorgeous smelling loaf of banana bread. You must resist the urge to eat it right out of the tin.

First you pop it out of the tin and let it cool for a few minutes.

Then you can slice it up, and share it with fellow banana bread lovers. Just make sure you save a piece for yourself, because it won’t last long if you leave an open box out by your desk. 🙂

I was worried that taste/texture would be sacrificed without butter and oil, but my coworkers assured me that it was moist and well worth making again. Want to give it a try?